


halfway dead

by Domoz



Category: Critical Hit (Podcast)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 12:45:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2151228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Domoz/pseuds/Domoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>fic prompt was: What if characters played by the same person interacted? Like Torq and Brenson, or Glaa, Ket, and Smith?.</p><p>This is not that. This is smith mysteriously being back from the dead.</p><p>"Randus, voice shaky, is asking, “How are you here? How did you get back?”</p><p>And Smith, eyes wide and arms stiff, can only manage to reply with, “I don't know”</p><p> </p><p>No, Ket thinks, you don't. But I might have an idea."</p>
            </blockquote>





	halfway dead

The trip back _to_ Moonhold was much simpler than the one away. Back then the roads had been wrecked, nearly unusable, and swarming with monsters. These days the road is mostly repaired, monster free, and honestly,kind of boring.

 

But they were nearby, Torq had suggested that the five of them stop by and Orem and Randus had agreed and who were Ket and Trelle to say no? When else would they get the chance to see the city where it all began?

 

Or at least, see the _remains_ of the city. The road that runs by it is newly paved but as they approach the city itself they can see that it's still in shambles. Most of the ruins are covered in ivy, the few buildings left standing at all are farther in.

 

It's Ket who says, “Didn't you say that some people stayed?”

And Orem who replies “A few did. But that was _years_ ago. I'd be surprised if they were still around”

 

Which is fair enough. The place isn't crawling with lunar monsters like they had been led to believe, but it doesn't look like anyone had made an attempt to repair it, either. Not from outside the walls.

 

Moonhold looks abandoned, which makes it all the more puzzling to see debris stacked neatly on the sides of the streets as they walk closer to the tower. Stranger still to see a place where a house used to be cleared of ivy and made to house a what looks like a garden instead.

 

True it _looks_ abandoned, but apparently only from the outside looking in. There's a decently sized camp, set up around the tower and in the remains of what Torq insists was the town hall, though it looks more like it used to be a bar.

 

And there are _people_ too. Not a lot, not anyone Torq recognizes, but not bandits or looters either. As the five of them walk into the center of town a group of them look up, then they go back to what they were doing as one of them breaks off to approach them.

 

They're fixing the town hall, making it habitable again.

 

Ket steps forward to meet him, it's almost reflex at this point. And then Torq pushes him back and steps in front instead.

 

The man, probably the oldest person here, says, “It's nice to see that the ah- lunar heroes are kind enough to stop in on our efforts”

And Torq responds, “I dunno about heroes. I'm stoppin' in as a constable of Moonhold”

 

The rest of the conversation goes mostly unheard by the rest of them- but Torq listens and hears that they're rebuilding Moonhold, or they're trying. That the people who came back are those that left; that they see the chance to have their old lives back and to make it better.

And, anyways, its a free house as long as you're not afraid to put in a little hard work.

 

Ket, who's still a little nervous about the whole place, sees him first.

 

Walking into the camp from a side alley, alone and with a decidedly unhealthy tone to his skin is the man Ket remembers as Smith. And last he remembers Smith doing is trying to kill him.

 

His hand is already on his wand before he nudges Randus, who yelps in surprise just loud enough to attract the attention of the others. And then catches sight of him too and freezes stiff.

 

Orem, similarly, is stuck with an expression of surprise. Torq, too, for a moment, before his hand flies to his axe.

 

They leave Trelle wide eyed asking as hushed as she can, “Who is he? Do we know him?”

 

And halfway across the square he notices, looks up at them and freezes in place much like they did. The man has put his hands up, started backing away saying all the while, “That's just James. I know that he looks odd but he's been nothing but helpful-”

Torq tightens his grip on his axe which drives the man to silence and even Orem has a hand on his sword- Randus is the only one without the presence of mind to reach for something.

 

For a long moment the five of them stare him down. And then, slowly, Smith puts his hands up. Certainly not something one would expect from a creation of Lolth, but no less suspicious.

 

Trelle has her scimitar halfway out of it's scabbard, now, and she's louder asking, “Who _is_ that?”

 

Then Randus, seemingly oblivious to the rest of them takes a step forward, then two, then calls out, “Smith!”

 

He halfway lowers his hands before catching Torq's eye and stopping. He says, “Um.”

 

And well, he certainly _sounds_ like Smith. It catches Orem off guard so much that his hand slips off the hilt of his sword as he steps up beside Randus. He says, “You're dead. Smith, we thought you were dead!”

 

“Right” says Smith, “Well. About that.”

 

 _Then_ Randus notices that he's got his arms up and realizes why and turns his head to Ket and Torq and Trelle and says, “Ah. I – I get that this is strange but, could we not attack him? I just-”

 

He swallows hard, “I just want to see”

 

Ket and Torq share a look- Then Torq lets go of his axe and after a moment Ket lets go of his wand though they're both still tensed up to grab them again.

 

And Trelle, all exasperation asks, “What is going _on”_

 

They all at once step forward and all see him stop himself from stepping back.

They're all trying very hard to get a read on him- to Orem and Randus he's here, there's something odd about him, something unhealthy, but being dead tends to do that to you;whatever brought him back, he's here now. To Torq he's almost certainly a trick sent to kill them, again. A bad dream that won't go to rest. To Trelle a frightened stranger that everyone but her seems to know.

 

Ket, too, expects a blast of ice and pain as he steps forward. What he gets instead is this awful and recognizable pressure.

 

It's not Lolth who's had her hand in this, but the Raven Queen. _She_ brought him back, and what with the way gods work it's probably no coincidence that they're both here. Lovely.

 

Randus, voice shaky, is asking, “How are you here? How did you get back?”

And Smith, eyes wide and arms stiff, can only manage to reply with, “I don't know”

 

 _No_ , Ket thinks, _you don't. But I might have an idea._

 

_-_

 

Smith leads the lot of them to one of the more repaired rooms in a daze. He seems more surprised to see them than they are him, and when he tries to explain himself he stumbles over himself more than Randus.

 

“It's just...” he says, opening the door, “It's just that I woke up in the middle of nowhere, didn't remember a thing except being on the moon, and that's not where I was. I just wandered around until I found the Exilarchy. And when I got there they helped me remember _some_ stuff. You guys, mostly. And so...”

 

When they're all in the room he stops, swallows visibly, and goes on softly, “I looked for you guys. For a long time. I figured you were my best shot at remembering anything else. But you never turned up.”

 

Orem bows his head to hide a smile, “So you came here. Where you met us”

 

Smith nods, “And when I found people trying to rebuild the place I figured I might as well stay. I remembered more things since I've been here than I did at the Exilarchy, anyways. I think I remember most of it, now.”

 

“Didn't anyone recognize you?”

 

At that Smith gives a halfhearted chuckle, “A few. But everyone knows that Smith died on the moon. As far as they figured, I'm some relative of his.”

 

Randus is smiling wide enough to light up the whole room. He says, “I'm so glad we stopped.”

-

Everyone relaxes a bit more after that. Orem and Randus sit with him and pull out the pods and reminisce with him, from the beginning. Torq joins them after Ket pulls him aside, saying, “It's not Lolth. It's not a nightmare. Yes, keep an eye on him, but as far as I can tell he's the real deal.”

 

Even Trelle cheers up, and sits with rapt attention to the stories once they introduce each other.

 

(She asks, “What was it like on the moon?” and he considers it and says, “Well it was very grey. And painful”)

 

Ket listens too, but he _watches_ more.

He's met Revenants before. Not many, the Raven Queen doesn't raise them very often and they're not meant to stick around once she does. But by all accounts he fits the description, and reeks of _her_ in every other sense.

 

He watches, waits, and wonders just how much Smith knows about what he is.

-

In the end they fall asleep in that room. After a long night of stories Randus and Torq leaning on the walls and Trelle sprawled out on the floor. Orem meditates where he's been sitting.

 

Smith starts to get up, stretching out the pain from hours of sitting. Ket, still leaning on the door frame, arms crossed, says, “Smith- Or do you prefer James?”

 

He looks up, hands on his knees.

He says, “Smith is fine”

 

Ket nods, “Alright. Smith. I think you and I need to talk.”

Smith blinks, “Ok. Talk”

“Outside”

 

He frowns. Bites his lip. And then follows Ket's gaze to Orem, who, conveniently, has his eyes closed. He says, “Right. After you.”

 

-

 

It's nice out. Breezy. The camp is cozy and quiet, the few guards they have to keep an eye out for wandering lunar monsters are patrolling well away from the construction project everyone seems to be sleeping in.

 

Smith starts before Ket can.

He's saying, “I don't know what your problem is. I saw you, watching me in there. And you and Torq both went right for your weapons earlier. I've never even _met_ you!”

Ket shakes his head, “You haven't met me, but I've met you. Sort of”

 

Well, that's only the thousandth stunned look Smith has had tonight.

 

“Not important. I wanted to talk to you for something completely different, actually”

 

Smith, all sarcasm, says, “Oh? Do tell.”

 

Ket keeps his poker-face on.

 

“How much do you know about the Raven Queen?”

 

Smith keeps his face knotted up in confusion.

 

“She's... one of the gods in the Pentatheon. Death, I think? But what does that have to do with anything?”

 

Ket can't help a disgruntled sigh at that. Great. Unless he's an excellent liar, he doesn't know a thing.

 

“It's just that she's the one who brought you back from the dead is all. I was just wondering if you knew why. I'm assuming not.”

 

Smith says, “What.”

 

He only composes himself as Ket is reaching for the door handle to head back inside.

 

“Wait, wait. Do _you_ know why she brought me back?”

 

Ket stops. His smile is somewhere between cruelty and pity.

 

“If she brought you back, it's to finish some important business. _Very_ important business, I'd imagine. But I have no clue what. I've never met you before, remember?”

 

Smith says, “I- I have no idea what you're talking about”

 

No sarcasm this time. All confusion.

 

As he opens the door, Ket says, “And with any luck I'll never find out, either”

 

And he hopes, he really does, that he won't get caught up in it. But in the back of his mind he knows he will.

If the Void and the Raven Queen and the other four are involved, of _course_ he'll get caught up in it.

When has he ever been lucky?


End file.
